3. Cf. [§ 200]. II. 2.
[ LESSON XLIII]
THE THIRD DECLENSION · I-STEMS
[241.] To decline a noun of the third declension correctly we must know whether or not it is an i-stem. Nouns with i-stems are
1. Masculines and feminines:
a. Nouns in -ēs and -īs with the same number of syllables in the genitive as in the nominative. Thus caedēs, caedis, is an i-stem, but mīles, mīlitis, is a consonant stem.
b. Nouns in -ns and -rs.
c. Nouns of one syllable in -s or -x preceded by a consonant.
2. Neuters in -e, -al, and -ar.
[242.] The declension of i-stems is nearly the same as that of consonant stems. Note the following differences: